“Making churches accessible is a far-sighted move. Anyone can become disabled in the blink of an eye.” – Trish

A booklet which aims to get Christians thinking about how their churches could be made more welcoming for people living with disability has just been released.

Creating Welcoming Churches – a disability resource for faith communities was launched in a poignant service of blessing at Auckland’s Holy Trinity Cathedral last evening. 

The Rev Vicki Terrell, who chairs the country’s Disability, Spirituality and Faith Network, which produced the resource, says the aim has been to create “a practical guide on how to make church environments more accessible to all people – including people living with disability.”

Vicki says the fundamental issue is about churches attending to priorities:

“No matter what a person’s station is in life,” she says, “no matter what struggles they may be facing – or whether they come to church as a visitor or is part of the regular congregation, the environment needs to be welcoming.” 

The booklet kicks off with what Vicki calls some “basic theology – theology which affirms all people are made of the image of God and all who follow Christ are active participants in the Church, the body of Christ.” 

The next section flows from that understanding, and gives tips about attitudes and actions that create environments which allow all people, whatever their disabilities, to take part in church life. 

There are examples given, too: stories about churches which have embraced the challenge of making their places of worship more accessible.

The third section invites people to go deeper in making the church a place where all people are affirmed and have a valued role in the body of Christ. The final section contains local and international resources on Disability and Spirituality. 

Creating Welcoming Churches is produced by the Disability, Spirituality and Faith Network Aotearoa New Zealand. Most of the folk in that network live with disability of some shape or form, says Vicki, and the network has strong links both in the church and the disability communities. 

“We are passionately committed,” she says, “to making the church a place where all people are affirmed as having gifts to share because we know we all made in the image of God.”

The booklet, which is available from ericar@paradise.net.nz (cost: $10.00, plus $5:00 post and packaging), was made possible through funding from the Joint Special Project Fund of the Association of Presbyterian Women and Methodist Women’s Fellowship.

For more information, please contact Rev Vicki Terrell, the Chairperson of the Disability, Spirituality and Faith Network Aotearoa New Zealand: vterrell@actrix.gen.nz.

Pictures to follow later this afternoon.